A stray bullet on Wednesday killed a policeman who was on duty at the Terminus area of Jos, the Plateau State capital.
It was gathered that a team of policemen met resistance from the hoodlums who defied the State government order to vacate the busy neighbourhood for the free flow of traffic.
The hoodlums, it was further gathered, indiscriminately displayed goods consisting mainly of second-hand clothes, bags, and others on the road despite repeated warning by the authority for them to end the menace.
The hoodlums resisted the Joint Task Force comprising of personnel from the Police, DSS, NSCDC, Immigration, FRSC, and Operation Rainbow saddled with the responsibility of ensuring sanity in the Terminus area and the confrontation saw the firing of warning shots to disperse the mob but the bullet hit the policeman and he died at the spot.
Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo said, “The Joint Task Force comprising of personnel from the Police, DSS, NSCDC, Immigration, FRSC, and Operation Rainbow saddled with the responsibility of ensuring sanity in the Jos Terminus Market area, while conducting a clearance operation today, met stiff resistance from a mob.
“After all efforts by the team to bring the situation under control proved abortive, an officer from one of the sister agencies fired a warning shot but unfortunately, one Inspector Emmanuel Tanko with AP. No. 336714 attached to 38PM Akwanga, who is on special duty in Plateau State Command was hit by the bullet and he died on the spot.
“In a bid to restore normalcy to the State, the Commissioner of Police Plateau State Command, CP Emmanuel Adesina, visited the scene to assess the situation.
“The officer was immediately arrested, and he is currently under investigation at the State CID Jos while the victim’s corpse was deposited at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos for autopsy.”
He added that the State Police commissioner, Hassan Yabanet had extended condolences to the family of the deceased officer and the entire Nigeria Police Force over the tragic loss of the diligent and dutiful officer.
He urged members of the public to always cooperate with the security agencies in the execution of their lawful duties, as the laws the officers were enforcing are for the general good of the citizens.